--- a/libinterp/interpfcn/input.cc
+++ b/libinterp/interpfcn/input.cc
@@ -343,7 +343,7 @@
 
 // Read a line from the input stream.
 
-static std::string
+std::string
 get_user_input (bool& eof)
 {
   octave_quit ();
@@ -372,67 +372,6 @@
   return retval;
 }
 
-int
-octave_read (char *buf, unsigned max_size)
-{
-  // FIXME -- is this a safe way to buffer the input?
-
-  static const char * const eol = "\n";
-  static std::string input_buf;
-  static const char *pos = 0;
-  static size_t chars_left = 0;
-  static bool eof = false;
-
-  int status = 0;
-
-  if (chars_left == 0)
-    {
-      pos = 0;
-
-      input_buf = get_user_input (eof);
-
-      chars_left = input_buf.length ();
-
-      pos = input_buf.c_str ();
-    }
-
-  if (chars_left > 0)
-    {
-      size_t len = max_size > chars_left ? chars_left : max_size;
-      assert (len > 0);
-
-      memcpy (buf, pos, len);
-
-      chars_left -= len;
-      pos += len;
-
-      // Make sure input ends with a new line character.
-      if (chars_left == 0 && buf[len-1] != '\n')
-        {
-          if (len < max_size)
-            {
-              // There is enough room to plug the newline character in
-              // the buffer.
-              buf[len++] = '\n';
-            }
-          else
-            {
-              // There isn't enough room to plug the newline character
-              // in the buffer so make sure it is returned on the next
-              // octave_read call.
-              pos = eol;
-              chars_left = 1;
-            }
-        }
-
-      status = len;
-    }
-  else
-    status = eof ? 0 : -1;
-
-  return status;
-}
-
 // Fix things up so that input can come from file 'name', printing a
 // warning if the file doesn't exist.